I couldn't answer. I'd gone speechless.
Sometime in the past few minutes, the Dinghy had fallen silent: no more fighting, no noise of any kind. Now, a thump, thump, thump came from the ship, accompanied by footsteps and grunting. The sound was moving upward: someone carrying something heavy up a flight of steps. By the time the thumping moved onto the deck, the Caryatid had sent her flame to the height of the railing. "Hello," she called, "who's there?"
Pelinor's head appeared over the rail. "Not to worry. We're all in one piece." He paused. "Some of us more than others."
"What does that mean?"
"Give me a minute."
Pelinor disappeared. Part of the railing opened like a gate and a gangplank slid down to the dock. Oberon scrambled up at once, his mass making the plank bend and creak… but the plank's reinforced wood was designed to hold rum barrels and other heavy cargo being rolled aboard, so Oberon made it to the deck without mishap. Myoko and the Caryatid hurried close behind; Gretchen followed at a more sedate pace, but she was clearly eager to see what was happening.
I was not quick to join the procession: my brain had slipped a gear, detached from the world. (Annah thought Myoko loved me. My good-time pal Myoko. Who had hidden her feelings because… because she was protecting her secret, and wouldn't allow herself to get close to me. How do these things happen? I could have sworn I was just Myoko's drinking buddy… and Gretchen's sexual fallback, Annah's excuse for melodrama. A stick man to them alclass="underline" a convenience. Now, all three women had somehow changed into involvements. How do these things happen?)
Annah nudged me toward the gangplank. My feet responded but my head didn't; she had to prod, drag, and coddle me before my wits rallied and I moved of my own volition. She gave me a wry look… then she released my hand and went up the gangplank unburdened.
On deck, the others stood in a circle around a white lump the size of a backpack. Myoko poked the thing lightly with her toe as Pelinor said, "So when I came through the door, Zunctweed caught one glimpse of my cutlass and he collapsed. Literally. Dropped to the floor and folded into this tight little bundle." Pelinor pointed at the lump. "You wouldn't think you could tuck a whole person into something that small."
"Oh, demons," Gretchen said with a dismissive gesture. "They all have a few silly tricks."
Oberon tapped the whitish bundle with his forefoot. "This is obviously a defense posture. The top's quite bony." He pressed down harder. "And strong. The whole skeleton must be hinged to form a protective dome over the vital organs." Oberon glanced at me. "Knowing you, baron, you must be consumed with scientific curiosity to dissect the body and see how the anatomy is constructed."
A groan came from the bony white bundle.
"No one's dissecting anyone," the Caryatid said in a Children-must-not-misbehave voice. "I don't know why you brought Zunctweed up here at all," she told Pelinor.
"Because Impervia didn't want him staying with her."
"Where is Impervia?" Myoko asked. "What's she doing?"
"Standing guard," Pelinor said.
"Over what?"
"Over what Zunctweed didn't want us to see." He waved toward a companionway that led below. "Take a look for yourselves. I'll watch the captain."
Gretchen didn't have to be told twice — she headed immediately toward the stairs. Oberon, the ever-faithful bodyguard, raced to go down ahead of her… only to find he couldn't fit through the companionway's narrow opening. He stood there squinching his whiskers in agitation until Gretchen rapped on his shelclass="underline" "Move, slave. You're in my way."
"Mistress Gretchen, you don't know what's down there. You don't know whether it's safe."
"Oh, it's safe," called Pelinor. "I think. Yes. I'd definitely say it's almost certainly safe."
This didn't reassure the big red lobster… but Gretchen wouldn't tolerate slaves telling her no. She banged again on Oberon's shell. "Move. Now. That's an order."
"Don't worry, dear," the Caryatid told Oberon. "We'll look after her."
Still reluctant, Oberon shuffled away from the opening. Gretchen went down without hesitation, though she did it in the landlubber way: facing the steps and holding the iron banisters, like climbing down a ladder. The rest of us followed close after. (Just for the record, the Caryatid descended a-la-landlubber too; Myoko slid down like an old salt, back to the steps, face out, feet barely touching the treads; I attempted to do the same, though without much grace; and Annah almost seemed to teleport — one second she was at the top of the companionway, then her cloak billowed and she was standing beside me. Making me feel ridiculous for having poised myself at the bottom, arms out and ready to catch her if she needed help getting down. I really had to stop underestimating that woman.)
The corridor below-decks was short, but had four doors leading off: one forward, one back, one each side. Cluttering came softly from behind the closed side doors. The NikNiks must have gone into hiding when Impervia chased Zunctweed — the little monkey-things had fled into the crew quarters till the furor died down. NikNiks didn't like other people squabbling; it distressed them mightily, not from fear but embarrassment. They ran at the first hint of confrontation and would stay out of sight for days if necessary.
The forward door was open and lamps burned within. Though the room was appallingly small, it was clearly the captain's quarters — it had a real bed (narrow but mattressed) and a small table whose legs were secured to the floorboards. Gretchen, the Caryatid, and Myoko stood before the table, blocking my view of whatever lay on top… but it had to be something of interest, because one of the women had just gasped in surprise.
Annah and I squeezed into the room. Impervia was off in the corner, dour as usual and surreptitiously pressing her hand against the side of her chest. She always held herself that way when she'd cracked a rib but wanted to pretend it didn't hurt. Obviously, Zunctweed wasn't a total pushover when it came to fighting. I sidled toward the good sister, ready to tape her up — I carried first-aid supplies for just such contingencies — but Gretchen thought I was trying to get close to the table, so she made room for me.
That's when I saw what Zunctweed had been hiding: a helmet of bright orange plastic. Featureless, except for a smoked glass plate in front of the eyes. It might as well have had PROPERTY OF SPARK ROYAL printed all over it.
Gretchen let out her breath. "That's Spark armor, isn't it?"
The Caryatid nodded. "It's the same style as Dreamsinger's."
Annah glanced at me, as if I could confirm what Dreamsinger's outfit looked like. I only shrugged. Still, the helmet on the table was undoubtedly of recent manufacture — it had none of the scratches or weathering you see on plastic from OldTech trash heaps — and these days, the Sparks were the only people who could mold plastic so flawlessly. This helmet had to come from them.
"Orange," Gretchen said, still gazing at the helmet. "Orange is for Mind-Lords."
Everyone in the room turned toward Myoko. Mind-Lords were masters of psionic power… and they spent their spare time getting to know other psychics. Especially psychics of first-class strength. Just as the Science-Lord had visited the best students at my university (completely ignoring me), a Mind-Lord must have visited Myoko's school occasionally to chat with those who stood out.
Like Myoko?
She said nothing — just stared at the helmet. After a while, the Caryatid touched her on the arm. "Are you okay?"